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omaha yoga path | Mindfulness Retreat in the Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh

Omaha Yoga Path Post

Mindfulness Retreat in the Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh

 
Honey Locust Sangha 
Spring Retreat
Thursday, May 14 to 
Sunday, May 17, 2026
at the 
Creighton University Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa

The Honey Locust Sangha Spring Retreat

Learn to Love Again

The title of Joe’s 2025 album, Learn to Love Again is a theme that invites us to explore the practice of cultivating our Buddha nature and growing our capacity to love. With the energy of mindfulness we are able to recognize and embrace our pain and suffering in ways that bring transformation and give rise to compassion. This allows us to love more freely and fully even as we encounter familiar “friends” of anxiety, fear, anger, and despair. The force of love can help us speak and act for justice, inclusivity, and peace in our families, our communities, and our society.

Throughout the weekend we will practice:

 

• Sitting meditation
• Walking meditation
• Mindful movement
• Dharma sharing
• Deep relaxation
• Embodied mindfulness

 

Supported by the peace of the natural surroundings 

and the strength of our sangha.

🌿 Registration is now open!

Space is limited. Please register by April 18.

Please note that a donation to Zeffy on the registration form is optional–opt out if you choose to pay for registration only.

about the Teacher: Joe Reilly (he/him)

Joe Reilly is a singer, songwriter, social worker, and Dharma teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Joe was ordained into the Order of Interbeing by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community in 2011, receiving the Dharma name True Ocean of Grace. In 2021, Joe received Transmission of the Lamp at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California, becoming an ordained Dharma teacher.

Joe was raised Catholic and currently studies and practices progressive Catholicism, Native American spirituality, and engaged Buddhism. He has been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 2004 and is often found singing and writing songs on spiritual retreats, weaving music and mindfulness together in deeply moving ways.

Joe lives in Waawiyatanong/Detroit, where he co-leads the Building Beloved Community Sangha. He is of Cherokee, Choctaw, Italian, and Irish descent and identifies as Native American.

Joe is part of the teaching community at the Lotus Institute alongside his Dharma mentors Dr. Larry Ward, Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward, and Kaira Jewel Lingo. He is also mentored by Barbara Newell.

Held in the tranquil setting of the

Held in the tranquil setting of the
Creighton University Retreat Center

It is a quiet place in nature, near Griswold Iowa, about 45 minutes from Omaha. CURC is a full-service retreat center with excellent meeting/conference rooms, overnight facilities, dining hall, and chapel. 

The comfortable facilities and hospitable environment are set in 157 acres of wooded area, with ambling trails along a river teeming with wildlife, song birds, and a sublime night sky.

Retreat Format

This residential retreat is designed for both beginning and experienced practitioners. It will center on periods of sitting and walking meditation and Dharma talks by our teacher. There will be small-group Dharma discussions, meal meditations, and active, mindful work practice. Periods of silence will deepen and enrich the experience by allowing time for personal reflection.

Honey Locust Sangha

 

Feb 28, 2026, 12:23 PM
 
 
 
 
to Honey
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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With joy, we invite you to our 
Honey Locust Sangha 
Spring Retreat
Thursday, May 14 to 
Sunday, May 17, 2026
at the 
Creighton University Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa

 


Learn to Love Again

The title of Joe’s 2025 album, Learn to Love Again is a theme that invites us to explore the practice of cultivating our Buddha nature and growing our capacity to love. With the energy of mindfulness we are able to recognize and embrace our pain and suffering in ways that bring transformation and give rise to compassion. This allows us to love more freely and fully even as we encounter familiar “friends” of anxiety, fear, anger, and despair. The force of love can help us speak and act for justice, inclusivity, and peace in our families, our communities, and our society.

Throughout the weekend we will practice:

 

• Sitting meditation
• Walking meditation
• Mindful movement
• Dharma sharing
• Deep relaxation
• Embodied mindfulness

 

Supported by the peace of the natural surroundings 

and the strength of our sangha.


🌿 Registration is now open!

Space is limited. Please register by April 18.

Please note that a donation to Zeffy on the registration form is optional–opt out if you choose to pay for registration only.


Our Dharma Teacher: Joe Reilly (he/him)

99327732-C7FB-4188-A522-5E66A109634A.jpeg
 

Joe Reilly is a singer, songwriter, social worker, and Dharma teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Joe was ordained into the Order of Interbeing by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community in 2011, receiving the Dharma name True Ocean of Grace. In 2021, Joe received Transmission of the Lamp at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California, becoming an ordained Dharma teacher.

Joe was raised Catholic and currently studies and practices progressive Catholicism, Native American spirituality, and engaged Buddhism. He has been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 2004 and is often found singing and writing songs on spiritual retreats, weaving music and mindfulness together in deeply moving ways.

Joe lives in Waawiyatanong/Detroit, where he co-leads the Building Beloved Community Sangha. He is of Cherokee, Choctaw, Italian, and Irish descent and identifies as Native American.

Joe is part of the teaching community at the Lotus Institute alongside his Dharma mentors Dr. Larry Ward, Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward, and Kaira Jewel Lingo. He is also mentored by Barbara Newell.

We are deeply honored to welcome Joe to Honey Locust Sangha this spring.


Retreat Location

CURC2.jpeg

 

Creighton University Retreat Center
Griswold, Iowa

 

The retreat center offers peaceful wooded grounds, walking trails, comfortable lodging, and nourishing meals — an ideal setting for mindful practice and community connection.


Retreat Details

Begins: Thursday evening, May 14
Ends: Sunday afternoon, May 17


Retreat Cost (Same as Last Year!)

Thursday–Sunday Options

• Double Occupancy — $355
• Single Occupancy — $420

Friday–Sunday Options Also Available

The fee includes lodging, meals, retreat center costs, 

and support for our teacher.

If cost is a concern, please reach out confidentially; 

limited financial assistance may be available.

 

The Honey Locust Sangha / Omaha Community of Mindful Living is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Six Mantras

The Six Mantras

June 16, 2012. 99-minute dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during the 21-Day Retreat with the theme The Science of the Buddha. The talk is given in English and this is the eleventh dharma talk (of 15). The podcast is available at this link.

1.teaPK Darling, I am here for you.
2.
Darling, I know you are there and it makes me happy.
3.
Darling, I know you suffer.
4.
Darling, I suffer, please help.
5.
This is a Happy Moment.
6.
Darling, you are partly right.

The last one is new and for when someone congratulates or criticizes you.

Discipline of Rewiring the Brain

In June of this year, a 21 day Mindfulness retreat was hosted at Plum Village in France for scientists throughout the world, taught by the Vietnamese  Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.  At this retreat Thay explained the connection between the five mental formations and the neural pathways in the brain. He describes how, with the practice of mindfulness, we can erase the neural pathways that lead to suffering and open new paths that lead understanding and happiness.

From this came an article by Paul Tingen call Using Mindfulness to Rewire the Brain.We’re reading this article at the end of classes at the Yoga Path to foster a practice of tapa/discipline (the third niyama),. We are striving to do things in our lives that strengthen well-being and thus allowing us to be strong enough to mindfully embrace and transform the suffering in our life.  The link to this article is below.

Rewiring the Brain

  • November 16th, 2012
  • Posted in Education
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